Twin brothers -- both top Draft prospects -- prepared for paths to finally diverge

July 1st, 2025

PHOENIX -- For the first 14 minutes of his life, Kyson Witherspoon was the man. No twin brother yet, he didn't look nearly identical to anyone else, nor did he share nearly all of his traits with anyone.

But then came Malachi. Henceforth, the Witherspoon boys had each other.

More importantly, though, they had their mom, Meg.

“Our mom is the stepping stone for everything we’ve been able to do and we’ve been able to accomplish, it’s all thanks to her,” said Malachi, the 121st-ranked prospect in the 2025 Draft class, and Oklahoma Sooners rotation mate of older brother Kyson, who is ranked No. 10. “Never had the most growing up but she made it all possible … she always found a way for us.”

Taylor and Tyler Rogers are the only current pair of twins in the Majors, having become just the 10th to ever appear in big league games. But the last set of twins to make it to The Show after being selected in the same year of the Draft? Coincidentally, that was another set of Sooners, Ryan and Damon Minor, who were drafted out of Oklahoma in 1996.

While Kyson projects as a first-rounder in July, and Malachi seems likely to go in the third-to-fifth round range, their prospect status was actually reversed when they were coming out of the high school ranks. Malachi was the No. 148 Draft prospect in 2022 when the twins pitched for Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Fla., while Kyson was unranked.

Malachi, equipped with a curveball that was already registering 3,000-plus RPMs, turned down an over-slot bonus from the Diamondbacks when they selected him in the 12th round. Kyson went undrafted.

“It's definitely night and day,” Malachi said of who he is now as a pitcher vs. who he was. “I'm definitely not the same kid I was in high school now, thanks to [Oklahoma head coach] Skip Johnson and our coaching staff. I mean, I've definitely just leveled up [times one hundred].”

“Same here,” Kyson agreed. “You just can't really even compare the two, [I’m a] completely different person.”

The person -- and pitcher -- Kyson morphed into was a semifinalist for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award. Over 16 starts and 95 innings for Oklahoma this season, he compiled 124 strikeouts and didn't walk more than three batters in a single outing. His fastball has been cranked up as high as 99 mph, but that’s not his only potentially above-average offering -- his cutter and slider both earn 60 grades (on the 20-80 scouting scale), with the latter getting up into the low 90s.

Asked to give a self-assessed scouting report on his explosive repertoire, Kyson laughed and modestly replied, “I got pretty good stuff.”

Malachi didn’t find the same level of success with the Sooners but did work his way into the rotation this year. Similar to his brother, he boasts a pair of above-average offerings in his curveball and slider, both of which get a ton of whiffs, which helped him strike out 11 batters per nine this year. A rigorous SEC schedule saw the hits and runs allowed pile up in bunches, but he did end his collegiate career on a high note with a scoreless six-inning start against Nebraska on May 30, which included nine strikeouts.

While the twins have always been exciting mound prospects, they were raw when they transferred from Northwest Florida State JC to Oklahoma. They had both shown glimpses of their potential, but it wasn’t until one big moment in Johnson’s office during the summer in 2024 that a switch was flipped: they were going to play for Team USA.

“Getting to wear that jersey for the first time, it was awesome,” Kyson said.

The experience as members of the USA Collegiate National Team not only allowed them to bond with the best of the best among their peers, it expanded their horizons to the game globally. Both Kyson and Malachi drew rave reviews from Johnson for how they turned their games up a notch after their national team stint.

Through it all, the twins have pitched on the same clubs in the SEC, Cape Cod League (Chatham Anglers), the Florida Collegiate Summer League (Sanford River Rats) and Panhandle Conference (Northwest Florida State JC) over the past three years.

“I’m his biggest cheerleader on and off the field, but seeing him pitch on Friday nights [at Oklahoma], it was electric,” Malachi said of Kyson. “You want that dude in your locker room at all times.”

While they’ll make their money as professionals on the hill, their sibling rivalry extends to the batter's box.

“The last time I remember him getting a hit off me, it was our senior year of high school,” Malachi said. “Unwritten rule between us: first pitch-fastball. He took the first-pitch fastball [and hit it] off the left-center-field wall. I turned back around and he's still in the box, pimping the mess out of it.”

After years of internal competition and pushing one another to be the best, they’re about to individually embark on the next step of the journey: professional baseball.

More on the Draft Combine:

While the Witherspoon twins' baseball careers have been inextricably linked, they recognize that pro ball gives them just a one-in-30 shot of winding up with the same organization. Even then, there are different affiliates and different trajectories toward The Show.

“It's just a blessing. At the end of the day, we're happy to be here alongside each other for as long as we have,” Malachi said. “Obviously there’s very little chance we go to the same team -- there's always a little sliver out there -- but I mean, regardless if we go to the same place or not, I'm just happy to be where I'm at right now.”

The "right now" was the 2025 Draft Combine, where the twins attended meetings with multiple clubs ahead of Draft Day. They didn’t participate in any on-field workouts but performed other crucial components like undergoing medical testing and completing in-person interviews, giving clubs a glimpse of what they’re getting from the 20-year-olds.

“You’re gonna get a winner on your team,” Malachi said of what 30 prospective organizations could expect.

Kyson, nodding along in unison:

“I love the work, I love the grind.”